The Importance of Sunday

For the longest time, the Montreal Alouettes had a hex of sorts on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Als had won 20 of their previous 22 meetings. It was as if there was a mental block that prevented the Ti-Cats from beating the Alouettes.

Then things started to change.

It started last October, when Hamilton handed Montreal one of its most embarrassing defeats in recent memory: a 40-3 pounding that took place in front of a raucous crowd at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The win was poo-pooed by some as meaningless. The Als, having already wrapped up first in the East, had nothing to play for. When Hamilton lost in the East Division Semi-Final, the big win against Montreal just a month prior was long forgotten.

Then in July, the Cats and Als faced off in a somewhat meaningful early-season matchup. Hamilton won 34-26 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in a game that was not as close as the score indicates. Hamilton was clearly the better team and took a 31-19 lead, but Montreal scored a late touchdown to make the game look closer than it was. People took notice after this victory, but doubt was still there.

Maurice Mann scoring on Labour Day

Then Labour Day arrived, and all doubt was seemingly removed. In as complete a game as I have seen the Tiger-Cats play under Marcel Bellefeuille, the Tabbies hammered the Als 44-21 in front of a rambunctious 26,964 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Much like their July matchup, the score of this game also made the Als look a lot better than they actually were. The Montreal Offense could barely muster anything against a stingy Tiger-Cat Defense. Had it not been for two scores by the Alouettes' Defense, the final score would have been just as lopsided as their October game from a year ago.

Despite having won the past three against their division rivals, Sunday's game still holds a lot of importance for this Tiger-Cat team.

The reason for that is because in Hamilton's three victories against Montreal, one thing is constant: they all came at home.

Hamilton has yet to beat Montreal in Montreal. In fact, the last time the Cats went into Molson Stadium and beat the Als was... October 20, 2002! That means that Hamilton is 0-fer in Montreal since Bob Young purchased the team. The last coach to lead the Tiger-Cats to a victory in Montreal: Ron Lancaster. The last Quarterback to win in Montreal: Danny McManus.

Percival Molson Stadium

During Marcel Bellefeuille's tenure as Head Coach, the only "quality opponent" that Hamilton has defeated on the road is BC, winning there in 2009. The Cats have continued their dominance in Vancouver, having won there the last three seasons. That is no small feat, either considering that prior to 2009, Hamilton hadn't won in BC since 2004.

But beating BC is not the same as beating Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton or Saskatchewan. The Cats in the Bellefeuille era are 0-9 in those four places.

Hamilton doesn't tend to get a lot of respect from the CFL media, and part of that is because they haven't consistently beaten upper-echelon teams in their stadiums. This is not a woe-is-me statement, but Hamilton tends to not get the benefit of the doubt. It's somewhat understandable seeing as they have been terrible for the better part of this century.

Two 9-9 seasons followed by two first-round playoff exits does not lead to much respect. But beating Montreal in Montreal? That's a different story.

If the Cats want to finally get some respect, there is no better way to demand it than by beating a quality opponent on the road.

Hamilton has that opportunity on Sunday.

My First Trip to Montreal

Ti-Cat Warmup, Prior to Kickoff

When the CFL schedule came out, I, along with two of my friends (Richard, Emily, take a bow) decided to make my first trip to Montreal to watch the Cats play the Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University. I had heard such great things about watching a game at Molson Stadium that I felt I owed it to myself to see a game there sooner rather than later.

While the game was terrible and put a real downer on the trip, watching a game at Molson Stadium is a real treat. It is an absolutely gorgeous place to watch a game. The seats are comfortable and the atmosphere is tremendous. I've seen games at Canadian universities before (McMaster and the University of Toronto), but McGill's stadium puts those two to shame.

Some interesting stories came out of attending this game. Before we even entered the stadium we were heckled. That caused me to roll down the window and shout "OSKEE WEE WEE" at the passersby. I then high-fived a fellow Ti-Cat fan who appreciated my rowdiness.

Next, on our way to our seats we ran into some people who work for the Tiger-Cats. As we were the only people decked out in Ti-Cats gear – they were all wearing those nice Ti-Cat polos, while I was wearing my Dave Stala Gold jersey, and Emily sported her blank Black home jersey (Richard was on a plane from Toronto at the time) – we naturally gravitated towards one another. I said it was nice to see some people in friendly colours, and we chatted for a bit about all things Ti-Cats (though it was mostly about the stadium location) and then parted ways.

Third, the section I sat in (M2) had a fair amount of Tiger-Cat fans in it (three sat right in front of us, one wearing a game-worn Dylan Barker jersey). It was nice to watch a game in enemy territory with some friendly neighbours. While we were razzed a bit by Alouette fans, it was all in good fun. I was hooting and hollering when the Cats made nice plays, so if I can give it, I have to be able to take it. Even so, they weren't rude, and quite honestly, Montreal football fans really are very friendly. I guess when your team wins so much, there is no point in being a gloating blowhard.

There is no shortage of praise I can heap upon my first game in Montreal. The experience was completely positive, except for the parking. Parking at McGill sucks HUGE! The parking facilities are not equipped to handle 25,000+ fans. It was downright nightmarish waiting to get out of the lot. It doesn't detract from the overall great time I had (aside from the loss), but it did put a damper on an already tough evening. I might try to find a hotel closer to the stadium when I go again and just walk to the game. Yes, I did write "go again," as I think as long as I can afford it, I will try to make the trip to Montreal an annual event.

If you haven't been to Percival Molson Stadium yet, do yourself a favour and go. The Cats don't play there again this year (barring a potential playoff matchup), but when the 2011 schedule comes out, go get yourself some tickets. You will not regret it. Great atmosphere, great stadium, great time.